More and more mobile devices, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, and the like, are being used for purposes other than those for which they were originally intended. Cell phones are no longer being used merely to call people. By contrast, these mobile devices are being equipped with the necessary hardware and software to perform functions, such as, sending emails, text messaging and/or browsing the Internet.
As part of this trend, many mobile devices are also being used to capture, store, and share images, such as still photographs and even video clips. In particular, many mobile devices function much like digital cameras enabling their users to take pictures (still or video) and to view digital images of the pictures taken. In addition, gallery, or image storage, applications are often installed on the mobile device enabling the mobile device user to store, categorize, view and even send images captured using his or her mobile device.
One drawback to many such mobile devices, however, is that while images can be captured while the mobile device is in closed mode (i.e., where the flap or cover of a flip-phone or similar mobile device is closed), and, in some instances, the latest image captured can be viewed while the mobile device remains in closed mode, the remaining images captured (i.e., all images stored using the image storage or gallery application) can only be viewed upon opening the mobile device (i.e., putting the mobile device in open mode by, for example, opening the cover or flap of a flip-phone or similar mobile device).
Often times an individual will take several pictures (or otherwise capture several images) sequentially prior to opening the mobile device in order to check the pictures and, where desired, delete those images for which the individual does not care. Requiring that the individual open the mobile device and, in many instances, change the orientation of the mobile device, in order to view the sequentially captured images can be quite tedious.
In addition to the foregoing, another drawback to many mobile devices is the fact that the gallery, or image storage, application used to store, view and manipulate captured images will often be required to download all of the stored images prior to displaying only those most recently captured images. Where, as is often the case, a user only wishes to view the most recently captured images, this requirement unnecessarily slows down the viewing process. The process is further slowed by the numerous available features of many gallery applications (e.g., cropping, transmitting, saving in specific folders, etc.), which too are often not used by individuals seeking only to view recently captured images. This drawback exists regardless of whether the mobile device displays images only when in open mode (i.e., where the mobile device comprises a flip-phone, or similar device), or is always in open mode (i.e., where the mobile device does not include a flap or a cover).
A need, therefore, exists, for an improved technique for viewing images captured using a mobile device.